Feds: Guilty plea waives misconduct claim

Feds: Guilty plea waives misconduct claim

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal prosecutors deny any misconduct in their prosecution of former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard. And they say his guilty plea makes his allegation of misconduct legally irrelevant.

Broussard pleaded guilty in September to charges he cheated taxpayers in a payroll fraud scheme and took payoffs from a parish contractor.

Defense attorney Robert Jenkins claims U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office failed to thoroughly investigate the source of alleged leaks to local television stations WVUE-TV and WWL-TV about Broussard’s impending indictment.

Last month, Jenkins asked U.S. District Judge Hayden Head to order a hearing on his claim that high-ranking prosecutors plotted to destroy Broussard’s public image.

The federal response says Broussard’s allegations are unsupported and the hearing he wants would be a legally impermissible “fishing expedition.”